Lara Weber is the events editor for the Chicago Tribune, but her natural habitat is the great outdoors. When not in a newsroom, she has been found fishing for piranhas in the Amazon, tracking mountain gorillas in Uganda and shivering at the fear of lions circling her tent in Zambia.

Rachel Jamison Webster

Rachel Jamison Webster is an artist in residence at Northwestern University. She edits an online anthology of international poetry, UniVerse, which aims to widen poetry’s audience and celebrate poets from every nation in the world. She is the author of “September: Poems.”

Jenniffer Weigel

Jenniffer Weigel is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, where she writes the weekly “Lessons for Life” column. She is the author of “Stay Tuned” and “I’m Spiritual, Dammit!” and has been a broadcast journalist in Chicago since 1995. chicagotribune.com/features/life.

Robert Weintraub

Robert Weintraub is the author of “The Victory Season.” He is a sports columnist for Slate and a frequent contributor to the New York Times’ sports pages. His writing has also aired on ESPN, ABC Sports, CBS Sports and dozens of other outlets. He lives in Decatur, Ga.

Irvine Welsh is the author of “Skagboys,” “Trainspotting,” “Ecstasy,” “Filth” (soon to be a film starring James McAvoy), “Glue,” “Porno” and “Crime,” among other works. Welsh is also producing movies and writing screenplays. A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, he lives in Chicago, Miami and London.

Scott Whitehair

Scott Whitehair is a storyteller; the co-host and producer of “This Much Is True,” a storytelling showcase; and creator of Story Lab Chicago. He has performed at many venues, including Steppenwolf Theatre, and on Chicago Public Radio and the Risk! Podcast, among others. scottwhitehair.com.

Danielle Wilcox

Danielle Wilcox is a master’s in fine arts student and tutor in the fiction writing department at Columbia College Chicago.

Chevy Williams

A Chicago native, Chevy Williams joined the board of the 2nd Story reading series in 2012. A scientist by training, she is an artist at heart.